London Fire Brigade has called on Whirlpool to issue a recall notice after a faulty Indesit tumble dryer was to blame for a massive blaze .

Fire chiefs have called on people to unplug and stop using dryers that have been subject to a safety notice because they could catch fire, even though Whirlpool, which owns Indesit, insists people can continue using them as long as they are not left unattended.

A six-week investigation found a faulty dryer that was due for modifications caused the fire at a tower block in Shepherd's Bush in August.

It took 120 firefighters to bring the blaze under control.

Up to five million Whirlpool dryers - under brands including Creda, Hotpoint and Indesit - have been affected by a fault which could spark fires.

The tumble dryer that sparked the massive fire (Image: LFB)

Whirlpool said people can continue to use the appliances while they wait for them to be repaired - as long as they are home, but not while they are sleeping.

London Fire Brigade said it has concluded that "all the physical evidence in the flat clearly indicated that the fire had started in the tumble dryer".

The investigation also revealed that "the physical evidence corroborated witness accounts that the fire had started in the dryer".

Other evidence "showed an engineer had been due to visit the property to carry out modifications"

It took 120 firefighters to bring the blaze under control (Image: LFB)

Based on its findings London Fire Brigade, under its Total Recalls campaign, has renewed its call for Whirlpool to change its advice to consumers..

It said: "Whirlpool still maintains that people may continue to use the affected dryers while they are waiting for them to be modified, so long as they are not left unattended.

"The Brigade strongly disagrees and is urging anyone with one of the models in question to immediately unplug the machine and stop using it."

Fire investigators, specialist scientific advisers and a fire investigation dog were all used to pinpoint the location where the fire started.

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A safety notice on Hotpoint's website said a review identified a potential concern with two types of tumble dryers manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015.

It said: "In some rare cases, excess fluff can come into contact with the heating element and present a risk of fire."

The affected brands are Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda.

The company is sending engineers to owners' homes, free of charge, to modify the affected appliances.

It warned: "You may continue to use your tumble dryer whilst waiting for the modification, however, we require that you do not leave your dryer unattended during operation as an extra precaution.

"Additionally, you should check and clean the filter after every cycle and ensure proper dryer venting, as directed in the original operating manual."

A Whirlpool spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by the incident in Shepherd’s Bush, London, in August 2016.

"While we understand that London Fire Brigade has concluded its investigation into the incident, Whirlpool's independent forensic investigations are still ongoing and in the circumstances, it would be inappropriate to comment further.

“The safety of consumers is our number one priority and we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that the tumble dryer modification programme is carried out in a safe and timely manner.

"We continue to cooperate fully with the relevant regulatory authority as progress of the campaign is regularly monitored and reviewed.

“The success of the programme depends on as many customers as possible registering with us for a modification.

"Therefore, we urge everyone who owns an Indesit, Hotpoint or Creda dryer manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015 to check if their dryer is affected and then register for a free modification if it is.

"They can do this using the model checker on two bespoke websites we have created, here and here or our dedicated freephone helpline on 0800 151 0905 for the UK or 1800 804320 for Ireland.”